A new malware every 7 seconds

G DATA publishes Android Malware figures for the first half of 2018

Data breaches, fake apps, worms, and a host of new malware – Android users were increasingly in the cross-hairs of cyber criminals in the first half of 2018. G DATA researchers counted over 2 million new malware apps in the first half of 2018, 1.2 million of these in the second quarter alone. This focus on Android is no surprise, as the operating sys-tem’s market share has increased once again. In the second quarter of 2018, some 76 per cent of smartphones worldwide had Android installed on them.

Malware authors are currently spending more and more time looking for creative new approaches for luring users into malware traps. Mobile gaming is booming. Criminals are aware of this too and are currently developing more and more new scams.

Tim Berghoff, G DATA Security Evangelist

Android malware figures rise rapidly

In the first half of 2018, 2,040,293 new malware files were recorded - a new negative record. After just six months, the figures for 2015 as a whole have been nearly reached. The number of new malware files increased by some 40 percent compared to the first half of 2017.